Andrea Allen, a longtime stalwart of Seattle theater, passed away in her sleep last night after a long struggle with cancer.

She was a company member of Annex Theater for a decade and its artistic director for two years. She had been at the Seattle Repertory Theater for almost 20 years, serving as its director of education while writing and directing plays. (Recent directing credits at the Rep include Circle Mirror Transformation and Speech and Debate.)

As a director, playwright, occasional actor, and local leader in arts education—she created several programs, both for high-school students and teaching artists, and was co-chair of the board of Washington Alliance for Arts Education—Allen was a creative force in the theater world for many years.

Condolences to everyone, especially her husband (designer Matthew Smucker), her twin boys, and the rest of the family.